<< Back 8/28/02 Mainstage series brings variety of acts to Asheville SMN The Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place announces its 2002/2003 Mainstage Series. Celebrating its fifth season, the Mainstage Series presents a wide range of national and internationall touring acts in music, theater and dance. Tickets for all events go on sale Aug. 28 and are available online as well as from the box office. The Mainstage Series is divided into themed series to meet audience demands for an array of the performing arts: Dance, Music, Special Attractions, Celtic, Theater, and a new series, Just for the Fun of It. Also new this year is the option for patrons to buy a discounted season pass for all 19 events. Kicking off the season on Tuesday, Sept. 24, is legendary Scottish songwriter, storyteller and composer Dougie MacLean. Other musicians featured in the season include master guitarist Janis Ian, new jazz talent Peter Cincotti, the Cuban quintet Habana Sax, the legendary bluegrass and folk music duo of Doc Watson and David Holt, and of Motown fame the Marvelettes. This year’s Celtic Series features the Karan Casey Trio, Lúnasa, Flook, and Liz Carroll and John Doyle. The new “Just for the Fun of It” Series is designed especially for those who just want to have a good time and a fun-filled night at the theater. Kicking off this series on Oct. 16 is Broadway actor and comic Jason Graee. Next, in “An Evening with Groucho” on Nov. 19, actor and Groucho afficionado Frank Ferrante recreates his PBS, New York, and London portrayal of legendary comedian Groucho Marx with the best of Groucho’s one-liners, anecdotes and songs. Rounding out the fun of this series is a performance on Feb. 1 by singer/songwriter Christine Lavin, a founder of the Four Bitchin’ Babes, who is bringing down houses across the country with her humorous show of songs, stories, and even some baton twirling. Part of the Theater Series, The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, on its annual fall festival stop in Asheville, gives back-to-back productions of “MacBeth,” one of Shakespeare’s most renowned tragedies, and “Much Ado About Nothing,” a romantic comedy. In February, the Aquila Theatre Company brings their production of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” to the theater for two performances. The Mainstage Dance Series continues its tradition of bringing some of the finest professional companies currently on tour for a trio of dance events each spring. This season’s featured dance companies are: MOMIX, a company of dancers and illusionists under the direction of Moses Pendleton, also of Pilobolus’ fame; Koresh Dance, a Philadelphia dance company known for its blend of ballet, modern, and jazz as well as its powerful stage presence and high energy style; Ailey II, a part of the famed Alvin Ailey Dance company, one of the most popular and critically acclaimed dance companies in the U.S. The Mainstage Series is supported by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency, and the Asheville Area Arts Council. The Mainstage Series season sponsors are the Asheville-Citizen-Times, Creative Energy, Laurey’s Catering and Gourmet-to-go, Renaissance Asheville Hotel, and The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation. Season brochures are in the mail to last season’s ticket purchasers. To obtain more information on the Mainstage Series or to purchase tickets, call the theater’s box office at 828.257.4530 or visit www.dwtheatre.com.